Canada Grouse, from the Game Birds series (N40) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes
1888–90
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 7/8 x 3 1/4 in. (7.3 x 8.3 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.202.40.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Canada Grouse* from Allen & Ginter's * Birds* series (N), a delightful chromolithograph produced between 1888 and 1890. This petite card, measuring just 2⅞ × 3¼ inches, captures the majestic Canada grouse in exquisite detail against a naturalistic backdrop, showcasing the bird's intricate plumage and alert posture. Issued as inserts in Allen & Ginter cigarette packs, these cards were part of a beloved 19th-century tradition of tobacco trade cards, sparking a collecting frenzy among enthusiasts of all ages. Printed using commercial color lithography—a groundbreaking techniq...
About the Artist
Allen & Ginter
Allen & Ginter, the pioneering American tobacco firm based in Richmond, Virginia, emerged around 1880 from the partnership of John F. Allen and Lewis Ginter, evolving from Allen's earlier John F. Allen & Company. Allen retired in 1882, succeeded by John Pope, yet the brand endured under Ginter's leadership, employing over 1,100 workers—mostly women—for hand-rolled cigarettes by 1886. Ginter, a Dut...